1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a marine vessel propulsion control apparatus to control a propulsion unit and a steering unit, and to a marine vessel that includes such a marine vessel propulsion control apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
A control apparatus to control a propulsion unit and a steering unit in accordance with an operation of a joystick is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-155764. The joystick includes a lever that is tiltable from a neutral position. A direction of a propulsive force is controlled in accordance with an operation direction of the lever, and a magnitude of the propulsive force is controlled in accordance with a tilt amount of the joystick. The joystick includes, for example, a spring that applies a restorative force, directed toward the neutral position, to the lever. When a marine vessel operator weakens an operation force applied to the lever, the lever is returned to the neutral position by the restorative force of the spring.